Daniel Murray

Daniel Murray (UK) is an award-winning photographer based in Scotland whose work explores landscape, street, still-life and portrait photography through cinematic colour, carefully considered composition and visual storytelling. Inspired by the way films use colour and atmosphere to evoke emotion, Daniel aims to create visually impactful images with a distinctive mood while leaving space for viewers to discover their own stories within them.

Daniel’s interest in photography began with taking pictures of family and everyday life on his phone. Wanting greater creative control — and particularly the soft, blurred backgrounds he admired in other photographs — he began researching cameras and bought his first DSLR with money given to him by his aunt. What initially felt like a casual interest quickly developed into a serious creative passion as he experimented with different subjects, perspectives and editing styles.

In 2024, at the age of 15, Daniel was named Youth Photographer of the Year at the Sony World Photography Awards. His winning image captured a lone surfer walking along a beach from a high clifftop viewpoint. The photograph was an entirely spontaneous moment: after noticing the surfer below, Daniel ran behind a restaurant, squeezed past some bins and found the elevated perspective that transformed the scene into a striking minimalist composition.

The award brought Daniel’s photography international recognition. His work has been exhibited at Somerset House in London and in group exhibitions in Switzerland, Germany and New Zealand, while his story has been featured by media including the BBC, CNN, Amateur Photographer, Photography News and DPReview. He has also shared his photography and creative process through a Sony Scene event following his award.

While street and landscape photography remains one of his greatest interests — helped by having Scotland’s dramatic scenery close to home — Daniel continues to experiment across different genres and is developing both personal and commercial work. Whether photography becomes his full-time career or remains a lifelong creative passion, he hopes never to stop learning, experimenting and finding new ways to tell stories through images.